Mao Portrait Protesters Get Asylum

The human fallout continues 20 years after the 1989 Tiananmen protests. Yu Dongyue and Yu Zhijian, jailed for vandalizing Mao Zedong’s portrait during the Tiananment protests, have been granted political asylum in the U.S. From Radio Free Asia:

Two protesters who helped splatter Mao Zedong’s portrait with red paint during the Tiananmen pro-democracy movement 20 years ago have been granted political asylum in the United States, informed sources said.

Former journalist and art critic Yu Dongyue was the last of three protesters jailed by Chinese authorities for defacing Mao’s portrait to be freed. He was released in February 2006 after serving 17 years behind bars.

His family says he still suffers from severe mental impairment following repeated beatings in Chishan Prison, Yuanjiang city, in the central province of Hunan.